Podcasts / Give First / DivInc’s Preston James on diversity and inclusion in the tech industry



DivInc’s Preston James on diversity and inclusion in the tech industry

September 28th, 2021

David Cohen talks with Preston James, the co-founder and CEO of DivInc, about the lack of access for people of color to the best practices, financial capital, and know-how to build a successful tech startup.


After two decades in the corporate world, Preston James was blown away by the innovation of tech startups. Once he got involved as an angel investor, he realized this industry was just like corporate America, where diversity was severely lacking.

After digging into the issue by talking to others within his network, Preston saw the need to “build this pipeline of entrepreneurs for the underrepresented community and make the ecosystem more authentically diverse, equitable, and inclusive in creating those opportunities.” To date, DivInc has helped more than 75 companies go through their program.

Listen to Preston describe how he is expanding DivInc’s reach across the country and diving deeper to accelerate the opportunities for underrepresented founders from the get-go.

Also, don’t miss Preston talk about how there are 4+ opportunities you can help DivInc reach more early-stage founders (including donations).

Follow Preston James on Twitter @PrestonLJ2

Follow David Cohen on Twitter @davidcohen

Follow Brad Feld on Twitter @bfeld

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#Give First#Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion